A guy called Tom (that really is how we refers to himself) has created an alternative way to interact with sound and instruments. It’s called «WOMB» and is a real hands on experience.

We’re all used to keyboards, pads, strings as a means of triggering or playing sounds or MIDI. But, you’ll probably be aware there are other ways we’ve been devising to bring playing and performing sound in different ways, from the futuristic AlphaSphere controller to wearable instruments like the Remidi T8 glove and bracelet combo to ROLI Seaboard RISE that brings the humble keyboard elegantly kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

The above are controllers and don't include on-board sounds. So, let's forget all the above and check out what A guy name Tom has created at Zurich university. «WOMB» is based on the Axolotl platform and is designed to get us interacting in a very different way to manipulate sounds, much like shaping or sculpting sand on a multidimensional interface.

It would be great to know more about whether this electroacoustic instrument could act as a controller is a MIDI interface or whether it uses another communication protocol...

Here’s video of it in action, followed by the description from the video.

Knobs, buttons and keys are the dominant means of interaction with electronic musical instruments. The aim of the «WOMB» prototype is to explore alternative ways to this paradigm. What if we could shape digital sounds with our hands, in the same way we can shape/sculpt clay?

«WOMB» is a hybrid electroacoustic instrument that allows rich, direct, haptic interaction with a multidimensional parameter space through a flexible user interface. It is based on the awesome Axoloti plattform and was developed as part of my masters degree in interaction design at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK).

Rounik is the Executive Editor for Ask.Audio & macProVideo. He's built a crack team of professional musicians and writers to create one of the most visited online resources for news, review, tutorials and interviews for modern musician and producer.
As an Apple Certified Trainer for Logic Pro Rounik has taught teachers, professional musicians and hobbyists how to get the best out of Apple's creative software. He has been a visiting lecturer at Bath Spa University's Teacher training program, facilitating workshops on using music and digital media tools in the classroom.
If you're looking for Rounik, you'll most likely find him (and his articles) on Ask.Audio & macProVideo.com.

macProVideo.com is an online education community for creative computer users. Our courses focus on artistic skills like Making Music, Video Editing, Graphic Design, 3D Modelling & Game Dev, Photography, and Web/Computer Programming. Created by artists, for artists, macProVideo.com is dedicated to helping YOU realize your dreams by learning new & inspiring computer skills.